I have been writing since my second year of college, but I didn’t publish anything until summer 2012. Winning the Writers On the Storm writing competition in 2011 with In God’s Time told me I was supposed to take it more seriously. God uses interesting things to give us a push in the right direction at times.
If I’m not reading fiction or writing, I have no problem keeping busy. The Lord gave me a knack for and keen interest in research. Natural medicine is an area of avid research interest (herbal medicine, homeopathy, ABFE, and nutrition specifically). Due to vaccine-induced injuries I live with, as well as vaccine-induced issues in my dogs, I’ve also spent years researching that topic.
When I make time and the weather permits (i.e. not too hot or humid), I enjoy crochet, cross stitch, and spinning my own yarn. In 2015, I added beading and jewelry-making to my hobbies. I’ve had a lot of fun with that, and it’s something I can do even when it’s hot and/or humid. I publish my beading patterns on Etsy.
I also enjoy photography – particularly all things nature. I love to see the many ways God put His fingerprints on the world, whether in grand mountain views and meadows or the tiniest flowers and insects. As an extension of that, and because I’ve ended up with more photos than is imaginable, I scrapbook when the mood strikes. Some of my photos can be found at www.morguefile.com. (A fabulous site to check for royalty free photos to use for book cover designs and web projects, by the way. Some mighty talented folks contributing there.)
Because of my love of nature, it’s probably not surprising that I have a jungle of houseplants, but I also keep aquariums ranging in size from 2 gallons up to 55 gallons, occupied by a variety of snails, neocaridina and amano shrimp, and various small species of fish. All are aquascaped with wood, rocks, gravel/sand, and live plants, allowing me to bring God’s wonderful creation indoors. Below is one of my setups, done in April 2022 for chili rasboras and blue dream neocaridina shrimp. This photo was taken in a month after setup.
In the past, I taught a women’s Sunday school class and co-taught a women’s Bible study, which was an incredible adventure. I’ve always told people the best way to learn is to teach. All the studying required to teach a topic properly ensures you WILL learn that material. I created my own handouts and other materials, which was time consuming but well worth the effort. I loved watching those “A-ha!” moments that occurred when the ladies “got” what I was sharing. As much as I love it, teaching is a heavy duty responsibility.
“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.” – James 3:1 (NASB)
If the fact we are accountable to the Lord for what we teach doesn’t keep a teacher on the narrow path, I don’t know what would.
If you’d like to reach out to me, find me through my Contact page.
Dawn M. Turner, Author of Christian Fiction 
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